Meridians & Acupoints

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Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) looks at the body from a different perspective than Western medicine, considering balances of Yin and Yang, the Five Elements, and other specific markers in its diagnoses. Pain and other exterior conditions are often tied to blockages in meridians, but these meridians also run internally to influence every aspect of health. 

Meridians - or channels - are not blood vessels or nerves but rather their own distinct entity. Ancient scholars of TCM discovered their existence from keen observation of the interconnectedness of the body, and now modern researchers have strived to determine what meridians are in a concrete anatomical sense.

No matter what they end up being from a Western standpoint, in TCM they are the pathways through which Qi and Blood flow, and it helps to picture them like rivers. If there's a blockage in a river, what happens?

• Immediately upstream from the blockage, water will back up and flood the riverbanks.
• Immediately downstream from the blockage, the river will dry up.
• Farther out from the blockage, ecosystems will be disturbed as the once reliable stream of water fluctuates.

Meridians can similarly be blocked by traumatic injury, pathogenic factors, or other forces, and the stagnation of Qi and Blood can lead to both local symptoms and other imbalances throughout the body. Licensed Acupuncturists study the meridians to pinpoint which are affected in their patients and develop a treatment plan to fix them.

The first step in correcting a meridian blockage is to know which meridian(s) need help. There are twelve primary meridians that correspond to the twelve organ systems: 

• Lung
• Large Intestine
• Stomach
• Spleen
• Heart
• Small Intestine
• Urinary Bladder
• Kidney
• Pericardium
• San Jiao
• Gallbladder
• Liver

These twelve meridians connect to each other in that order, ending with the the end of the Liver channel flowing back to the start of the Lung. In this way they form a closed circuit loop similar to that of the blood vessels in Western medicine. There are other types of meridians as well - luo connecting vessels, muscle meridians, extraordinary vessels... - and the two others that are very commonly used in practice are the two extraordinary vessels with their own acupoints: the Du (or Governing) and Ren (or Conception) meridians.

If meridians are like rivers, acupoints can be seen as special spots along them, like natural pools where people can collect water to bring back to their towns. The fourteen meridians listed above have known points along their channels, with the shortest having only nine (Heart and Pericardium) and the longest having sixty-seven (Urinary Bladder). Each point has five, ten, fifteen actions associated with it, and Licensed Acupuncturists treat with point combinations customized to provide relief for each of their patient's unique concerns. 

There are hundreds of acupoints all over the body - including "extra points" that are not on meridians - and they can produce effects outside of their local area. Some are used more commonly than others, but all are important when considering how to rebalance health.

Acupoints and meridians can be stimulated with a variety of methods - acupressure is an easy one! - and there are plenty of books available to help patients learn point locations. Therapies like Qigong and even some guided meditations can also stimulate acupoints without explicitly saying so, as can general "good-for-you" activities like yoga and exercise.

At our clinic, we believe in patient education and advocacy, hoping that members of our community can learn to work with their bodies to heal themselves...but for big imbalances, acupuncture treatments are the way to go. Modern research is increasingly exploring the connection between acupoints and the body's bioelectricity, and metal (e.g. needles) is a great conductor of electricity. Feel free to schedule an appointment with us if you live near McKinney, Texas, or search online for a Licensed Acupuncturist near you.